Remember
by sockospice
Summary: Response to a ficathon challenge. Jack is dying, and Will is reluctant to let him go. Slash.


Title: Remember (1/1)  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Pairing: Jack/Will  
  
Content: sap, misery and character death.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters mentioned herein and make  
no implications or profits from the use of these characters.  
  
Summary: ficathon response.  
  
For: Hellborne  
Requests: (1) Jack & Will have been together for many years  
now, (2) Jack is dying (how is up to the author).  
Restriction: Must be canon...no OOC or AU.  
  
"It's a matter of time now Will. When, not if."  
  
Will nodded and turned away. He'd known, really. As soon as he'd seen  
that look pass across Jack's face, like a ghost passing through him,  
gathering up his soul in preparation for his journey to the other  
side. Experience as a pirate had given Will if not an understanding  
but a belief and awareness of things that couldn't be explained, that  
those in Singapore had termed 'supernatural'. He'd seen enough souls  
leave their mortal body to know when someone was close to death.  
  
Jack was close. The doctor had done all he could. So had the quacks  
with their magic potions. So had every professed healer that Will had  
tried. The wound Jack had received was the one that would kill him.  
  
It hadn't seemed so serious at first, a sword in the side. Jack had  
survived worse. But this, it just didn't heal. Instead, a poison had  
spread through Jack's body, infecting his blood, slowly but surely  
taking his life. Jack had pretended that everything was alright, but  
Will had noticed him wincing in agony as they made love, had noticed  
his skin take a yellowish pallor. It was when Jack turned down the  
rum that Will knew for sure.  
  
Everything wasn't alright. Jack was dying, and although neither would  
admit it, both of them knew it. Will had sought the help of everyone  
he could, but it was no use.  
  
Now he had to say goodbye. When Will had left Elisabeth to join Jack  
on the Pearl, that was hard. When Jack had forced him to admit his  
feelings, that was hard. When he killed as a pirate for the first  
time, that was hard.  
  
This didn't even compare.  
  
Will stood at the helm, blinking away tears, trying to compose  
himself. These last few moments shouldn't be ruined, they should be  
special.  
  
Will returned to the cabin he'd shared with Jack for the last ten  
years. It actually felt like home now. There had never been anything  
he'd liked better than to walk in to see Jack laying in their bed.  
Usually, improper suggestions would be made and acted upon. But now  
when he walked in he'd see Jack laying in bed, his forehead drenched  
with sweat and face contorted in agony.  
  
"Jack?" Will whispered his name and knelt by the side of the  
bed. "I'm here, love."  
  
Jack slowly reached for Will's hand, laboriously pulling it up to his  
chest and holding it close. He licked his lips, making to speak. Will  
lifted a small glass of water to his lips, quenching his thirst.  
  
"I don't want to go."  
  
"I know."  
  
"They're coming for me. I... I saw your father."  
  
Will's face turned pale. "You did?"  
  
"He... he said he'd look after me... when I get there."  
  
The younger man forced a smile. "That's what we Turners are here for.  
To look after you." He took a deep breath, Jack had paled again. He  
had that look that told Will his father had come to take Jack away.  
  
"Who will look after me Jack?" He couldn't help the words. He didn't  
want to burden Jack, to taint his last memories of him, but the  
question remained. Jack had made him into a pirate, made him into his  
lover, protected and nurtured him. In those ten years Will had been a  
faithful lover, a fearless pirate, but he wasn't a leader. He  
couldn't lead these men without Jack's calming and maddening  
influence.  
  
"Look in that box when I'm gone." Jack indicated the key that hung on  
a chain around his neck., and then an old leather bound case. Will  
knew that Jack kept some important documents and items in that box,  
but had never looked inside. "Everything in there is yours."  
  
Will nodded, biting his lip.  
  
"You know what I said about the Pearl, don't you?" Jack had, one  
drunken night, told Will that should he ever die, he wanted his body  
to be left on the Pearl and the fine ship destroyed. He'd claimed a  
soul mate's affinity with the ship and said that she would transport  
him to the other side. Will had taken the talk as drunken rambling,  
but he realised that it was what Jack really wanted.  
  
"I'll do that for you Jack." Will had noticed that Pearl had been  
unruly and restless since Jack had been hurt. It was like she  
knew. "What about the crew?"  
  
"They can share the treasure in the hold. Enough for everyone there."  
Jack's breath was coming in shorter gasps now.  
  
"And me?"  
  
Jack clutched Will's hand tighter. "In that box is... is everything  
you'll need. Trust... trust me luv."  
  
"I do. I always have." A tear rolled down Will's cheek. How could he  
keep his emotions in check when the man he loved was lying in front  
of him in this state?  
  
"Tell me how they'll remember me Will." Jack closed his eyes. He was  
weary, so very weary. And confused. He could hear Will's voice, then  
Bill's, they were both so similar. Both so important.  
  
"As Captain Jack Sparrow." Will's voice was breaking with tears  
now. "As the finest pirate to sail the seven seas. The man who made a  
fool of the Navy's highest ranking officials. The man who killed the  
undead crew of the Pearl. The man who claimed the treasure of the  
Isla de Muerta. The man who stole my heart."  
  
A smile crossed Jack's face. "The most important thing I ever stole,"  
he whispered. Slowly, with the last strength in his body, he brought  
Will's hand to his lips and kissed it. Then he let go.  
  
Will sat there for a few hours, knowing that Jack was gone, but  
unable to accept it yet. He recounted stories of their exploits  
through tear-broken words, bitterly laughing to himself. Every moment  
of his life with Jack had been an adventure, one that he'd repeat in  
a second. And now it was over.  
  
"Jack." Will stood up. He kissed his lover's lips one last time, and  
gently removed the key from around his neck.  
  
With shaking hands he opened the box, not really sure what to expect.  
There were a lot of papers, a velvet bag, and some official looking  
documents. Will looked inside the bag first. There he found the  
biggest diamond he'd ever seen. He didn't know when Jack had  
plundered it, but he knew its trade would earn him enough money to  
live on for a good few years.  
  
Then he looked through the letters. Some were in Jack's semi-literate  
scrawl, some in what he recognised as his father's writing. He'd seen  
these before. Then he saw a script he knew from a long time past.  
  
Elisabeth. He opened the letter, apprehensive, wondering why Jack had  
never mentioned a letter from her before. It soon became clear. She  
implored Jack to look after Will, and should anything happen, to send  
him to Jack's plantation in the Americas. She would take care of him  
there.  
  
Looking through the documents Will found land deeds that indeed  
showed that Jack owned a plantation, a large and prosperous one by  
the look of it. Then there was a short contract-like document, signed  
by Jack and Elisabeth. It described how Elisabeth would look after  
the land, and should anything happen to Jack, Will would return to  
the woman who was his first love. Will had always known that Jack  
regretted Elisabeth being hurt by him stealing the young blacksmith  
away. He wasn't really surprised that Jack had tried to make it up to  
her.  
  
The contract was in Elisabeth's writing, with a final few words in  
Jack's script.  
  
Look after Will, should I no longer be there to do so. Of all I have  
or ever will plunder, he is the most precious treasure.'  
  
Will replaced all of the papers in the box, and returned to Jack's  
side. He brushed the hair from his face tenderly, remembering how  
beautiful the man was, every line and contour of his face. That  
haunted look, that agony, it was gone now. The pirate was at peace,  
as much as anywhere could ever be peaceful with Jack around. It was  
only fitting that Jack should be laid to rest on the Pearl. She was  
very restless now, Will could feel, she knew that her master had  
gone.  
  
Will knew he had duties to perform, and composed himself to face the  
crew. He must inform the men, comfort Pearl, and make the necessary  
arrangements.  
  
Jack would be so much better at this.  
  
He'd have the right words, the ability to make things seem right no  
matter how wrong they were.  
  
Will felt like he was that innocent blacksmith he'd been long ago.  
Except he wasn't. He was the pirate that Jack made him, that his  
father's blood made him. And he'd honour that now. He'd fulfil Jack's  
wishes, just like he'd always tried to fulfil his desires. He knew  
that his father would care for Jack. His father's was the spirit  
taking Jack to the other side, to that place that would be slightly  
less peaceful now that Jack was there. Jack wasn't alone.  
  
That was important. Will had discovered that Jack had a fear of being  
alone. After Barbossa's mutiny, and being stranded on that island,  
Jack had sought company wherever he could, just to avoid that  
loneliness and silence of being alone. Will had ensured that Jack was  
never alone in this world. His father would do the same in the next,  
Will was sure of it.  
  
Will had given Jack the love and company he craved. In return, Jack  
had given Will the confidence and love he needed.  
  
Will needed that confidence right now. He wondered if he'd feel  
Jack's voice inside him like he'd felt his love.  
  
"Go on darling. I'll be watching, I'm right behind you." Whether that  
was Jack's voice or his mind playing tricks, Will wasn't sure, but it  
was enough.  
  
Will would get through this and do as Jack bid him.  
  
And then he would do the one thing he'd always promised Jack that he  
would. Make sure that Jack's memory would go down in history. Jack  
had always craved fame, and he'd earned it. He and his exploits  
wouldn't be forgotten.  
  
Least of all by the man who'd loved him throughout it all.


End file.
